Joe Biden, Howard Dean Pile On GOP Over Iran Letter

As Western Journalism reported, 47 Senate Republicans signed their names in support of a letter penned by Sen. Tom Cotton and sent to Iranian leaders. The correspondence offered a description of America’s constitutional separation of powers and explained why a deal reached between Iran and the White House without Senate approval would likely not survive the current administration.

In response to the letter, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid lambasted the letter’s contents and its signers, claiming their intent was to somehow undermine Barack Obama’s foreign policy.

A number of other sources joined the critical onslaught, including the New York Daily News’ bold headline calling the letter’s supporters “traitors.”

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Several other prominent Democrats also weighed in on the issue, including former Sen. Joe Biden.

He released a statement indicating that he “cannot recall another instance in which Senators wrote directly to advise another country – much less a longtime foreign adversary – that the President does not have the constitutional authority to reach a meaningful understanding with them.”

Biden called the move “beneath the dignity of an institution I revere,” going on to echo Earnest and Reid by citing his opinion that “their letter seeks to undermine” the Iran deal.

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In a subsequent appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Cotton addressed Biden’s statement, asserting that if he “respects the dignity of the institution of the Senate he should be insisting that the president submit any deal to approval of the Senate, which is exactly what he did on numerous deals during his time in Senate.”

Other Democrats, most notably former DNC Chairman Howard Dean, took on Cotton directly. Sharing an opinion with the Daily News, Dean asserted that “if Tom Cotton wasn’t a veteran of the armed forces, I would say this borders on treason.”

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